Who do you look to for money advice? It may be family, friends, your bank manager, a financial influencer or a legit economist. Old-fashioned thinking would suggest that financial knowledge comes with age – but we know that’s far from true. Everyone deals with money day-to-day, and we all – young and old – have our own ways of making it work.

With that in mind, Latayvia Tualasea Tautai asked an array of under 25-year-olds to share their thoughts, ideas and advice around money. Each is a recent honoree in the YWCA’s Y25 programme, which supports young women and non-binary people between the ages of 15 - 25 “who are raising their voices, challenging the status quo, and fighting for a fairer Aotearoa”. A new group of ambitious and impressive up-and-coming leaders are nominated and celebrated each year, taking part in wānanga, networking events and money-focused workshops. This year's group will be announced on August 16.

If you’re having financial anxiety or just wanting some money inspiration, these 25 practical tips from rising trail blazers may help.

1. Just start. Start investing, working and getting to know the financial world. Don’t keep putting it off until you think you know ‘enough’. – Juju Moharram 

2. Poverty is not a choice. We need robust social safety nets, education, health, justice, housing and policy reform to address it at its root. But also it’s a recession, so many are doing it tough. While we do the best we can to budget, also be sure to have empathy for yourself and others – Latayvia Tualasea Tautai ‍

3. When you enter the workforce, you’re given the option to sign up for KiwiSaver. DO IT. If you contribute, your workplace will match 3% each pay. That’s essentially free money! – Mary-Lynn Huxford 

4. If you can, allocate a percentage of every cheque to investments. Investing is a way of paying yourself in the future. – Irihapeti Edwards

5. Even if your income doubles, your lifestyle expenses shouldn’t triple – that’s lifestyle creep. Constantly spending outside of your means is the biggest way to burn a hole in your wallet. – Irihapeti Edwards

6. Don't give into buy now, pay later apps like Afterpay. The outfit may be cute, but having to pay it back is not. Save your money and buy it in full; by the time you do you'll probably decide it isn't your style anyway – Allyssa Verner-Pula

7. I put all my bill due dates like car insurance, loan repayments, water, power etc into my Google calendar a few days before they’re due and highlight them red. I’m always looking at my calendar and when I see red I know it’s a bill and it keeps me on track. – Talei Bryant

8. When online shopping, add things to the cart (get that dopamine rush) and then wait a few days before buying it to see whether you still want/need it. – Becki Moss

9. If you don’t absolutely LOVE it – don’t buy it! – Aleisha Amohia

10. Invest in a few good quality clothing pieces per season, buy Aotearoa-made if possible and support ya locals! – Allyssa Verner Pula

11. Because of inflation if you’re not getting a regular pay rise you’re actually getting a pay cut in real buying power of the money. I think it’s really important to know, to give us  confidence to advocate for our own pay rises. – Pieta Bouma

12. It’s important to build emergency fund savings if you are out of job or need a break from work. That takes stress out of the way and you can focus on you for the short term while sorting your long-term plans out. – Ranisha Chand

13. Start small with financial education. One way is by creating a budget – it doesn’t have to be complicated, just a spreadsheet that notes where your money’s going throughout the month. Financial awareness at the start of your life helps you be in control. – Rana Arif 

14. Set up a rainy day fund. You never know when you might need some spare cash to get you out of trouble. – Molly Doyle

15. I wish I had learnt about the different types of bank accounts earlier. Such as opening a savings accounts with a high premium interest rate. Because of compound interest, your money is making money without you needing to do anything. – Hetal Patel

16. Emergency fund! Build an emergency fund before paying debt, investing etc… and also get your KiwiSaver sorted. Don’t forget about the government contribution, free $521 every year (50c for every $1 up to that amount) – Sarah Kelsey

17. Meal planning. It sounds really simple but it’s easy to impulse buy at supermarkets. I sit down each week and plan out my meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, based around the seasonality of fruit and vege so I don’t overpay. I have saved a lot of time and money through meal planning – Arabella Dudfield

‍18. The financial advice that has always stuck with me is to manifest financial security - “Money comes to me with ease and I accept it with gratitude”. Whether it works or not, there’s no point in not trying it; manifesting is free after all. – Sophia Malthus

19. Have different online accounts for different things. Start small and portion accounts to the things that matter: kai, rent and expenses, emergency, fun, koha, movement/gym, short-term or long-term spend, + savings). I have 18 accounts which is extra but it makes my spending more intentional – Alyce Lysaght

20. Apply for scholarships for study and personal and professional development. There are many opportunities out there that people don’t know about. It helped me in my academic, personal and professional journey. – Leilani Faaiuaso

21. ‍Planning and recording your money is the first step to saving and spending wiser. – Nele Kalolo  ‍

22. “It’s your money”. It’s easy to get sidetracked by what other people are doing but at the end of the day you invest/spend/track at your own pace and will figure out what’s best for you. – Vivien Whyte

23. As a natural born spender, saving with a goal in mind has always been a huge help and far more successful for me than saving for the sake of it. Set those goals and squirrel the money away. – Isabella Ieremia‍

24. You learn things by doing them, and money is the same. Learning about money can be the beginning of easing common fears –looking at your accounts, talking about money, what people think. Making changes now = freedom to live the life you want in the future. - Teresa Lee 李慧 

25. Send your money to work instead of you. Check your savings account has the best interest rate. Set up an auto-payment that goes in long-term investments, such as ETFs on the sharemarket. Compare and switch to ethical deals for power, mobile, broadband, insurance, KiwiSaver, etc. Use handy tools like NZ Compare, Powerswitch, and Sorted’s KiwiSaver Fund Finder. - Teresa Lee 李慧